Abstract
This paper presents a computer-aided heat transfer simulation method to predict the thermal characteristics of an alloy sample in a special furnace for directional solidification. A two-dimensional transient heat transfer by radiation combined with conduction is developed to calculate the energy exchange between the symmetric furnace and the sample. Control volumes are used to obtain a set of highly efficient finite difference equations for heat conduction and heat radiation with changeable view factors. The simulation results are verified by measurable experimental results. Using the two-dimensional computer simulation model, many thermal properties of the samples can be obtained, such as temperature distribution, solidification velocity, the shapes and positions of the liquid/solid interface and thermal gradient at the interfaces. These are very important to analyze microstructure of casting alloy, avoid casting defects and control casting quality.
